Thin place detector for looms



Dec. 10, 1957 I |NGHAM, JR 2,815,773

THIN PLACE DETECTOR FOR LOOMS Filed May 9, 19 55 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 IQOBEET M. I NGHAMfl fi 1N VEN TOR BY PM ATTORNEYS Dec. 10, 1957 R. M. INGHAM, JR 3 THIN PLACE DETECTOR FOR LOOMS Filed May 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 35. 49 I min Pose/er M INGHAMJQ,

IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEYS THIN PLACE DETECTOR FOR LOOMS Robert M. Ingham, Jr., Spartanburg, S. C., assignor to Deering Milliken Research Corporation, Pendieton, S. C., a corporation of Delaware Application May 9, 1955, Serial No. 506,912

7 Claims. (Cl. 139-348) This invention relates to looms and, more especially, to an improved thin place detector particularly adapted to be supported on a loom temple and it is an object of this invention to provide a thin place detector which is made from a minimum of parts, may be easily installed and maintained, which will operate efliciently and which may be economically produced.

It is another object of this invention to provide a thin place detector of the character described which is sufficiently compact so that it may be mounted on either of the temples of a loom thereby facilitating the use of a relatively short feeler arm or lever for moving a first contact relative to a second stationary contact upon the free end of the feeler arm or lever detecting a thin place in the fabric being woven.

An advantage of the improved thin place detector resides in the fact that it is adapted to be mounted at a point where there is a minimum rise and fall of the cloth and, this, coupled with the fact that the electrical contacts are normally spaced relatively far apart, prevents false actuations of the electrical stop motion such as might be experienced with apparatus having a relatively long arm or feeler contacting the cloth in the center of the loom.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, partially in section, showing one corner of a loom with the improved thin place detector mounted on one of the temples of the loom;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially along line 2-2 in Figure 1 showing the free end of the detector finger resting on top of the cloth;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view looking down substantially along line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the position of the detector arm or finger when the free end thereof has passed through a thin place in the cloth;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Figure 3 transversely of the improved detector and longitudinally of the warp;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 omitting the stationary contact-supporting cover from the contact housing;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along line 7-7 in Figure 5 transversely of the warp;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an electrical circuit controlled by the improved thin place detector.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, the loom comprises the usual frame having side frame members 10, only one of which is shown, connected at the front by a breast beam 11. The loom is provided with the usual means for making cloth F including an oscillatably driven lay 12 which carries a reed 13 through which warp yarns 14 pass. The lay supports a shuttle 15 in which a filling carrier or quill 16 is positioned and which shuttle 15 is thrown across the lay in the usual manner for casting Z,8l5,773 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 filling threads or weft yarns through the warp yarns 14 in the usual manner.

The improved thin place detector is particularly adapted to be mounted on a conventional temple head 20 of a temple broadly designated at 21. The temple head 20 overlies and rotatably supports opposite ends of a barbed temple roll 22 which nests in a concave lateral portion 23 on the rear end of a neck portion 24 of a temple arm 25. The temple arm 25 is mounted for longitudinal or forward and rearward movement on a stand 26 having conventional means therein, not shown, for urging the arm 25 rearwardly. The stand 26 is secured, by a bracket 27, to the breast beam 11. On each beat-up stroke of the lay 12, a heel portion 30 depending from the temple arm 25 is struck by the lay and the temple is thus moved forwardly in the usual manner.

The parts of the loom heretofore described, including the temple 21, are conventional and it is with such or similar parts that the present invention is particularly adapted to be associated.

The improved thin place detector comprises a cast metal housing broadly designated at which comprises a body 36 which is preferably of substantially U-shaped cross-sectional configuration and whose opposite ends are closed by end wall portions 37, 38. The housing 35 is preferably of somewhat lesser length than that of the temple head 20 and a medial portion of the rear wall of the U-shaped body 36 has a rearwardly projecting flange or fin 41 thereon which is secured to the upper surface of the temple head 20 by any suitable means such as bolts 42. The bolts 42 are preferably of the flat head i type with the heads thereof being set into the wall of the temple head 20 so the lower surfaces of the heads and the bolts 42 are substantially flush with the lower or inner surface of the temple head 20 as best shown in Figure 5.

It is thus seen that the housing 35 is grounded to the loom frame by means of the temple 21. It will be noted that the lower surface of the U-shaped body 36 of the housing 35 is spaced closely above the path of travel of the cloth F. A shaft 45 is journaled in the end walls 37, 38 of the body 36 and is prevented from endwise movement therein by any suitable means such as snap rings 46, 47 engaging the outer surfaces of the end walls 37, 38. The end of the shaft 45 adjacent the free end of the lateral portion 23 of the temple arm 25 extends outwardly beyond said lateral portion and has one end of a detector arm or finger 50 adjustably secured thereon as by means of a pair of lock nuts 49.

The detector arm or finger 50 extends rearwardly from the shaft 45 and has a downturned feeler portion 51 thereon which is sufiiciently thin to pass between adjacent warp yarns 14, immediately adjacent the temple 21, in the event of adjacent weft yarns being spaced from each other sufficiently to permit the free end of the downturned portion 51 of the detector finger 50 to pass therebetween. It will be observed in Figure 2 that the lower end of the downturned portion 51 of the detector finger 50 is rounded so it will ride against the upper surface of the cloth F with movement of the temple relative to the cloth, provided that the cloth is of the proper density.

It will be observed in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 that a medial portion of shaft 45 has a radially projecting contact 54 thereon which normally projects upwardly at an angle from the shaft 45 and which also serves as an anchor for one end of a torsion spring 55. The torsion spring 55 surrounds shaft 45 and the other end thereof is connected to the front wall of the U-shaped body 36 of housing 35. In this instance, the end of the torsion spring 55 remote from the contact 54 is positioned in a shallow groove 56 formed in the upper edge of the front wall Suitably s'ecured'to'the'iipper surface of the body 36 of the housing 35 is an insulation cover 60, as'by'screws 57. The cover 60 has a stationary contact 62 suitably secured thereto and normally spaced rearwardly from the movable contact54. The s'tationaryfcontact 62 is connected to one side of an electrically operablestop'mo'tion generally designated at 63, and shown schematically in Figure 8, by means'of a conductor'o'rwireffl. I'nthis instance, it willbe best observed in Figures '5 and 7that the contact '62 is in the form of a nut 'or shoulder mou'nted'on a screw which'penetrates and extends upwardly through the insulation cover 62 and has a pair of lock nuts 67"thereon which serve as a terminal f'o'r'connecting the corresponding end of 'wire64 to the contact62.

Referring to Figure 8, the stop motion "63' may be of any desiredconstruction-such as'is shown in a patent to G.F. Bahan,' No. 2226,2 76, dated Decemb'er 24, 1940, and,-acc ordin'gly, a detailed description and illustration of the stop motion63 is deemed'unnecessary. The-side of thestop motiom63 remote from wire 6 2"is connected to one-endof a secondary winding of'atransforr'ne'r T, which secondary winding is suitably grounded, as at T 70. The primary Winding of transformer "T has conductors'or wires 71, 72 extending from oppositee'nds thereofto'a plug-74 adapted to be 'connectedtoa suitable source of electrical energyjnot shown.

As is'well'lnown, during the weaving "of the cloth F,' tlie fellof the cloth is spaced closely adjacent and rearWar'dly of the-temple head- -andthe-lateral'portion 23 "ofthe temple'arm25. Thecorre'sponding portion of 'the'cl'oth passes betweenthe lower surface'of the temple roll 22a'rid the laterall portion -23 of the' ternple arm 25 inits"cour'se to the usualtake up meclianisrn. Now, as long as'filling yarns are being thrown across the lay 12 'and'through'the w'arp with successive beat-up 'strokes ofthe' lay 12, the

slightly rounded 'lower'endof theportion 51 'of'the detector finger is lightly ur'g'edfby the spring ssfagain'st the upper surface-of the clothclosely adjacent the-fell of the cloth and closely adjacent one-end of the temple.

When, for any reason, the loom fails to properly deposit filling yarns, or the filling yarns are notproperly beat-up by the rced-13 and lay 12, the lower end of the down-turned portion 51' of the detector finger 50 passes between adjacent'warp yarns under the influence'of the torsion spring 55 which also moves the movable contact 54 into engagement with the stationarycontact 62 to close the circuit to the stop motion 63. This stops" the loom so that a 'wea'vermayi pick out any filling whichmay have been woven subsequentto the faulty wovenportionof the cloth,- after'which' the cloth F is let'backin the'usu'al manner and theloom is again started. Although the improved thin place detector is shown mounted on the lefthand temple of the loom, it may as readily be mounted on the right-hand temple 'of a loom merely by a reversal of parts of the detector.

It is' thus seen that I-have provided'a simple and inexpensive thin-place detector Whose electrical contacts are enclosed and which is mounted on the temple closely adjacent the fell of the cloth as it isbeing woven and which therebyr permits the use ofa-very short detector arm. This results in sufficientmovement of the movable electrical contact with-the relatively short movement of the detector arm. A further advantageof the improved thin place detector lies in the factthat the operating end' of the detector arm is disposed closelyadjacent thepoint at which the cloth passes through the temple; where there is a minimum rise and fall or the cloth and, since the electrical contacts 54, 62 are normally spaced relatively far apart, it is unlikely that the stop'motion would "be actuated' by the improved thin placedetectonunless a thin place has-actually-been detected thereby.

In'the drawings and' -s'pecifi'cation there has 'be'enset forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and' although specific terms" are employed, they'a're' used in' a" generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of -limitation, the scope of 'the invention being defined in electrical circuit including a pair of conductors; a substantially closed housing mounted on said'temple, a shaft oscillatably supported within said housing and having one end thereof extending exteriorly through one wall of said housing, said feeler arm being secured to said shaft, one

of the walls of said housing having an inwardly extending first contact secured thereto and insulated from said shaft, and a second contact on said shaft and normally arcuately spaced from said first contact, said second contact being engageable with said first contact in response to armate'movement' of said feeler arm and shaft, said contacts comprising a part of said electrical circuit.

'2. In a loom having means for weaving cloth, a circuit adapted to be energized to stop the loom and at least one temple disposed adjacent the fell of the cloth; the

combination of a thin'place detector carried by said temple'and comprising a pivoted detector arm having a feeler portion on its free end disposed closely adjacent the fell of the cloth 'and closely adjacent the temple, resilient means normally urging said feeler portion against -tl1ecloth being" woven, a first'contact movable with said pivoted arm, astationary contact insulated from the first Contact and normally spaced from the first contact, 'sa'id firstand stationary contacts being interposed in'said circuit, and said stationary contact'being engage- "able by the first contact upon a thin place being detected cuit adapted to be'energized to stop theloom andaat least one templedisposed adjacent the fell of the cloth; the combination of a thin place detector carried by said temple and comprising a pivoted detector arm having adownturned portionon itsfree end disposedclosely "adjacent the fellof' the clothand closely adjacentlthe temple, resilient means normally urging said downturned portion against the upper surface of the cloth being woven, a first contactmovable 'with said, pivoted arm, a stationary contact insulated from the'first contact and normally spaced from the first contact,-said..first and stationary contacts being interposed in saidcircu'it and Said stationary contact being engageable by the firstcontact upon a thin place being detected by the free end-of the downturned portion of the detector arm as said downturned portion passes through the cloth, and an enclosed terial at least adjacent said stationary contact.

4. In a loom having means for making cloth, a temple disposed adjacent at least one selvage'of said: cloth and having a lateral portion thereon, a templehead-overlyingthe lateral portion, said fabricextending between said lateral portion and said headand. azcircuit adapted to be energized to stop the loom; the: combination ofa shaft, means rotatably supporting the shaft on said temple adjacent said head, said means being grounded to the loom, a finger fixed to said shaft and having a narrow downwardly projecting feeler portion on its free end, resilient means urging the feeler against said cloth, a projection on said shaft, a stationary contact normally spaced from the projection and being insulated from the loom, said projection and said contact being interposed in said circuit, and said projection being movable into engagement with said contact upon said feeler por tion passing through a thin spot in the cloth.

5. In a loom having means for making cloth, an electrically operable stop motion interposed in an electrical circuit, a temple disposed adjacent at least one selvage of said cloth and having a lateral portion on the rear end thereof and a temple head overlying said lateral portion; an improved thin place detector comprising a substantially U-shaped metallic housing, means securing the housing to the temple head, closure means on opposite ends of said housing, an insulation plate closing the upper end of said housing and having a stationary contact therein projecting downwardly therefrom, a conductor leading from said stationary contact to the stop motion, a shaft journaled in said closure means and extending outwardly adjacent one end of said temple head, an outwardly projecting movable contact carried by and movable with said shaft, said movable contact being disposed adjacent and normally spaced from' the stationary contact, resilient means urging the shaft in one direction to normally urge the movable contact toward the stationary contact, a detector arm fixed on one end of said shaft exteriorly of said housing and extending rearwardly from said shaft, and the rear end of said detector arm having a downwardly projecting feeler portion thereon normally urged against the upper surface of the cloth by said resilient means whereby, upon a thin place being detected in the cloth by said feeler portion, the feeler portion will pass through the cloth and thereby move the movable contact into engagement with the stationary contact to ground the circuit to the stop motion.

6. In a loom having means for making cloth, an electrically operable stop motion interposed in an electrical circuit, a temple disposed adjacent at least one selvage of said cloth and having a lateral portion on the rear end thereof and a temple head overlying said lateral portion; an improved thin place detector comprising a metallic housing, means securing the housing to the temple head, an insulation plate closing at least one side of said housing and having a first stationary contact therein projecting inwardly therefrom, a conductor leading from said stationary contact to the stop motion, a shaft journaled in said housing and extending outwardly adja cent one end of said temple head, an outwardly projecting second contact carried by and movable with said shaft, said second contact normally being disposed in arcuately spaced relation from the stationary contact, resilient means urging the shaft in one direction to normally urge the movable contact toward the stationary contact, a detector arm fixed on said shaft exteriorly of said housing and extending rearwardly from said shaft, and the rear end of said detector arm having a downwardly projecting feeler portion thereon normally urged against the upper surface of the cloth by said resilient means whereby, upon a thin place being detected in the cloth by said feeler portion, the feeler portion will pass through the cloth and thereby move the second contact into engagement with the first contact to ground the circuit to the stop motion.

7. In a loom having means for weaving cloth, and a stop motion electrical circuit; the combination of a thin place detector carried by said loom and comprising a. pivoted detector arm, means normally urging said detector arm against the surface of the fabric being woven, a substantially closed housing mounted on said loom, a shaft oscillatably supported within said housing, said detector arm being secured to said shaft, one of the walls of said housing having an inwardly extending first con tact secured thereto and insulated from saidshaft, and a second contact on said shaft and normally arcuately Spaced from said first contact, said second contact being engageable with said first contact in response to arcuate movement of said detector arm and shaft, said contacts being operatively connected in controlling relation with said stop motion circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 956,172 Rhoades Apr. 26, 1910 959,654 Trombly May 31, 1910 1,866,053 Pope et a1 July 5, 1932 2,429,804 Chapman Oct. 28, 1947 2,674,277 Siciliano Apr. 6, 1954 

